Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, here's a challenge to read books set during the colonial era of the United States: 1492-1783.

Level 1: 1-10 Walking About
Level 2: 11-20 Riding a Horse
Level 3: 21-30 Sitting in a Carriage
Level 4: 31+ Ferrying by Water

Who's in?

Participants

Bonny
Carissa
Carole
Celia
Chris
Hannah
Karen
Katrina
Lauri
Loraine
Mark
Michelle
Missy
Sherri
Staci
Wendy

I'm in!

Level 1: 1 - 10 Walking About

1. Across the Ages (March 19/25) Set in 1727 and 1927.

I'm in Level 1: 1-10 Walking About
1.

Level 1

I'm in. This looks challenging, so I'll start with Level 1 and see how I do.

1. (2/9/25)
2. (5/7/25)
3. (6/5/25)
4. (6/22/25)
5. (11/28/25)

I'm in. Level 1: 1-10 Walking About

1.
2.
3. Georgia, 1736-1737.
4.
5. 3 stories take place during this period.
6.

I'm going to give this a try. Level 1: 1-10 Walking About

#1

#2 General Market

#3 1691-1692

#4

I am in for level 1.

#1 (part of her life was in 1727); #2 ; #3 ; #4 ; #5

Oh this is awesome!! Thanks for taking my suggestion! =) I'm really looking forward to this!!! Hoping for Level 4!
1) (set in western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York State in 1780)
2) (set in Central New Jersey, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in 1770)
3)
"Virginia Company Bride" (set in Virginia in 1608)
"Embers of Hope" (set in Massachusetts in 1673)
"A Treaty of Tulips" (set in New York in 1740)
"A Promise for Tomorrow" (set in Kentucky in 1778)
4) (set in Massachusetts in 1761-1775)
5) (set in South Carolina in 1770)
6) (set in Maryland in 1775-1782)
7) (set in Massachusetts in 1774-1775)
8) (set in New Jersey in 1776)
9) (set in Pennsylvania and New York in 1781)
10) (set in Massachusetts in 1620, California in 1769, Massachusetts in 1775, etc.)
11) (set in New Jersey in 1774)
12) (set in New Jersey and Virginia in 1773-1774)
13)
"Promises, Promises" (set in Delaware in 1739)
"Quills & Promises" (set in Delaware in 1756)
"Deceptive Promises" (set in Delaware in 1774)
14) (set in New Hampshire in 1774)
15) (set in Massachusetts in 1692)
16) (set in Massachusetts in 1692)
17) (set in South Carolina & Massachusetts in 1690-1692, but really more of a fantasy witchcraft book rather than historical fiction)
18) (set in the original thirteen colonies in the 1600s-1700s)
19) (set in the original thirteen colonies in the 1600s-1700s)
20) (set in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine in the 1600s-1700s)

How fun!
I haven’t run across as many of these lately as I used to, so I’ll start with level 1. Seems like it’s not as trendy a subject as it was a decade ago. 🤪

I probably won't get to this one, but I'm going to be curious what y'all come up with!

I'm in for level 2.

5/11-20 colonial USA books read, so far.



Founding Brothers
The Unredeemed Captive
George Washington's Secret Six
Killing England
Partisans and Redcoats

(view spoiler)[
Planned Books
Valiant Ambition
Killing the Witches
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley
The Unredeemed Captive
The Puritan Dilemma
The Declaration of Independence / The Constitution of the United States
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
1776
Mayflower
A Kingdom Strange
The Island at the Center of the World
Calico Captive
The Story of Liberty
Sweet Land of Liberty
The Faiths of Our Fathers
(hide spoiler)]

I'm in - level 1 though - does this include nonfiction?

Chris wrote: "I'm in - level 1 though - does this include nonfiction?"

It does!

Thanks to Bonny for suggesting this challenge! It will be interesting to see the titles that work.

I should have everyone linked to here, but please let me know if I've missed anyone.

I'm in, with level 1.

For suggestions, look up Andrea Byrd, Susan F. Craft, and Denise Weimer, for starters.

Got you linked up Wendy. Thank you for the suggestions!

Staci wrote: " Thank you for the suggestions!"

You're welcome. I have reviewed several of their books, set in Colonial times.

I'm in for level 1

Welcome Mark! I've got you link added.

Level 1 (1-10, walking about)
This is my favorite historical era.

3) Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund 5*
2) The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep 5*
1) The Creole Princess by Beth White 5*

Possibilities:
To Have and To Hold: Mary Johnston
Burning Sky by Lori Benton
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund
Dawn's Early Light by Elswyth Thane (mainstream)
Daughter of Liberty by J. M. Hochstetler
Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White
The Courier of Caswell Hall by Melanie Dobson
The Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz
A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz
The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep
The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz
Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz
Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell
Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser
The Messenger by Siri Mitchell
The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
The Puritans by Jack Cavanaugh
The Colonists by Jack Cavanaugh
The Patriots by Jack Cavanaugh
Being George Washington by Glenn Beck (non-fiction)
Maria by Eugenia Price
My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse, series #1
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo, series #2
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep, series #3
The Patriot Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse, series #4
Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow (mainstream)

I'm in for Level 1.

1. Liberty's Promise ( Set during American Revolution)
2. Journey to Victory (Set during American Revolution)
3. Secrets of the Revolution (Set during American Revolution)
4. The Gentle Rebel: 1775 (Set during American Revolution)

Awesome Carole! I'm looking forward to seeing what titles fit for this challenge. I've got you and Loraine linked up.

Carole wrote: "Level 1 (1-10, walking about)
This is my favorite historical era.

Possibilities:
To Have and To Hold: Mary Johnston
Burning Sky by Lori Benton
[book:America's Firs..."

To Have and To Hold is one of my favorite books! I also love Lori Benton's.

Staci wrote: "Chris wrote: "I'm in - level 1 though - does this include nonfiction?"

It does!"
Then I will be bumping it up to level 2 - love reading history and bios of that time period!
1. The Pirate Bride read 1/4
2. The Captured Bride read 1/6
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Staci - does the entire book have to take place during that era or can it be just part of it?

Karen wrote: "Staci - does the entire book have to take place during that era or can it be just part of it?"

Good question. I think it's fine to include as long as part of the book is set in the colonial time period.

Staci wrote: "Karen wrote: "Staci - does the entire book have to take place during that era or can it be just part of it?"

Good question. I think it's fine to include as long as part of the book is set in the c..."

Thanks, Staci. I'm reading which covers several wars, one being the American Revolutionary War.

Today I celebrated July 4th with two great colonial books!

In the morning, I read this children's book of stories of America's history, with lovely illustrations:
The Children's Book of America

In the afternoon, I lay in my hammock and read this non-fiction book of a revolutionary event that took place in my community:
The Tea-Burners of Cumberland County Who Showed Their Resistance to British Tyranny and Unjust Taxation by Burning a Cargo of East India Tea on the Evening of December 22, 1774 at Greenwich, New Jersey
The title says it all!

I read 6 books set in the Colonial period.

Michelle wrote: "I read 6 books set in the Colonial period."

Nice work! This was a tough challenge.

Ended up with 20 colonial books - not quite my goal of level 4, but I did make it through level 2!

1) (set in western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York State in 1780)
2) (set in Central New Jersey, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in 1770)
3)
"Virginia Company Bride" (set in Virginia in 1608)
"Embers of Hope" (set in Massachusetts in 1673)
"A Treaty of Tulips" (set in New York in 1740)
"A Promise for Tomorrow" (set in Kentucky in 1778)
4) (set in Massachusetts in 1761-1775)
5) (set in South Carolina in 1770)
6) (set in Maryland in 1775-1782)
7) (set in Massachusetts in 1774-1775)
8) (set in New Jersey in 1776)
9) (set in Pennsylvania and New York in 1781)
10) (set in Massachusetts in 1620, California in 1769, Massachusetts in 1775, etc.)
11) (set in New Jersey in 1774)
12) (set in New Jersey and Virginia in 1773-1774)
13)
"Promises, Promises" (set in Delaware in 1739)
"Quills & Promises" (set in Delaware in 1756)
"Deceptive Promises" (set in Delaware in 1774)
14) (set in New Hampshire in 1774)
15) (set in Massachusetts in 1692)
16) (set in Massachusetts in 1692)
17) (set in South Carolina & Massachusetts in 1690-1692, but really more of a fantasy witchcraft book rather than historical fiction)
18) (set in the original thirteen colonies in the 1600s-1700s)
19) (set in the original thirteen colonies in the 1600s-1700s)
20) (set in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine in the 1600s-1700s)

Outstanding Bonny! Hope you learned some great things.

I wasn't sure how this one would go. I met my goal and read four.

I wasn't sure how I would do. I met my goal and read five. I also found several more books that interest me and hope to read in the future.

Staci wrote: "Outstanding Bonny! Hope you learned some great things."

I sure did! The most educational ones were A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials, which gave insight into the experience of a teenage girl feeling the peer pressure of the witch trials; Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons, which explored the experiences of the first Black poet in America; and Journal and Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian, 1773-1774: A Plantation Tutor of the Old Dominion, which included first-person descriptions of life on a Virginian plantation.